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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. foot — a measure
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. race — the arms race
  9. cold — not warm
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. board — a committee
  13. bear — the animal
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. chip — for betting
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. board — to get on
  18. race — humankind
  19. bear — the animal
  20. chip — to eat
  21. cold — an illness
  22. race — a contest
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. cold — the Cold War

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com